


Save Me from House Frou

by devera



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-05
Updated: 2011-07-05
Packaged: 2018-01-21 07:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1543025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devera/pseuds/devera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hakkai leaves, but then he comes back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Save Me from House Frou

**Author's Note:**

> Cracky response to a question [indelicateink](http://indelicateink.livejournal.com/222164.html) posed about whether any enterprising fan ever explored the other option from that scene in Burial where Gojyo's captors are trying decide between killing him or selling him.
> 
> Of course I couldn't resist

It takes him two days to reach Chang An, and another two before he finds out.

"He's a cockaroach," Sanzo says on the forth afternoon, while they're drinking tea, almost like he's continuing a conversation Hakkai knows they haven't been having. "He'll survive anything."

Suddenly Hakkai's tea tastes very strange.

"I beg your pardon?" he says faintly.

"The kappa," Sanzo grunts. "That gang sold him off to some remnants of the Hundred Eyes. I thought you knew?"

"I..." Hakkai blinks. "No. But surely Gojyo can take of himself?"

Sanzo shrugs. "Probably. Like I said, he’s a cockroach."

"Excuse me," Hakkai says, putting his tea down and standing up. "I believe I have something I need to do."

"Idiot," Sanzo says, by way of goodbye.

+++

It takes another four days to track the gang down. They're surprisingly prompt with information, so he lets them live.

Or at least, they're living when he leaves them.

+++

He reaches the hideout on the morning of the ninth day. And stands outside and stares.

He'd expected a lot of things, none of them pleasant, some of them he kept returning to over and over for reasons he doesn't actually care to examine too closely - one he even dreamed about, and in hindsight he perhaps should have thought to bring a change of clothes - but he hadn't expected this.

"Hi," the demon says, upon opening the door and spotting his limiters. "Ooh, you're new, aren't you. Nice. Go on up, or if you want, you can help yourself to the tea and biscuits first. Oh. Mind you wipe your feet though, yeah?"

"I..." Hakkai says faintly, completely forgetting to eviscerate the man as he wipes his feet on the door mat and steps into the house. "Of course. Thank you. Upstairs, you said?"

"Yeah," the youkai nods in the apparent direction. "It's still a bit early, but it should be okay."

"Ah," Hakkai murmurs. He ignores the offer of tea – not to mention the dozen or so youkai lounging around in the down stairs room, some of whom give him a cheerful wave as he passes through the room and starts up the stairs. When he gets to the door, he knocks and pushes it open, and he's not sure what he’s expecting here, either. Again, this isn't quite it.

"Oh, hey! Hakkai!" Gojyo says when he sees him. "Awesome. It's about time you got here."

Hakkai stares, and takes a deep and even breath and resists the urge to gape.

"It is?" he says first, and then, "Are you..." He blinks – just the once – because he's not entirely sure he knows how to finish the question. Are you wearing makeup? Are you really comfortable with those throw rugs in the room? Are you not just a little bit worried about the dozen or so members of the Hundred Eyes clan downstairs who seem to be drinking tea out of fine bone china? He settles on: "Are you all right?"

"Eh?" Gojyo blinks, and suddenly he looks thoroughly unimpressed; whether it's with Hakkai or the pink ribbon that just fell out of his hair, Hakkai isn't entirely sure. "Oh yeah, just _peachy_ ," he groans, plucking the ribbon from the alarmingly chintz bed spread underneath him. "Do you see what they did to me?"

"I... I was under the impression you were sold into slavery."

"Damn straight, I was! And it's been fucking horrible. You have no idea! I am so glad to see you, man."

Horrible. Horrible... That's not quite the word Hakkai would have gone for. Perhaps froufrou? Or even fanciful. Yes. It's been fucking Martha Stewart, Hakkai. I'm so glad to see you.

"I will never, ever complain about having to pick up around the house again, Hakkai, I swear," Gojyo continues, tossing the hair magazine he'd been reading onto the nightstand, rolling off the bed to his feet and stripping quickly and carefully out of the robe he's wearing. It has white lace on the collar and is quite... well, sheer. He drops it like it's diseased and then bends down to pull open the bottom drawer of the nightstand. Hakkai swallows a little; it's hard to know where to look, at the silky pink thing on the floor, or Gojyo's creamy, powdered-

"Aren't you angry with me?" Hakkai blurts, and Gojyo, in the process of fetching what looks to be his normal clothes, pauses to look at him.

"Angry with you? No. Why?"

Hakkai swallows again, this time against the hot burn of guilt rising closing his throat.

"Because I knew you were in trouble, but I left anyway. It was always my intention to leave."

Gojyo stares at him for a moment, and then shrugs and returns to the task of redressing.

"Yeah, I knew that," he says. "No biggie. Sure am glad you turned up now, though. I'm not sure I can stand another sing-along night, and seriously, if I see another cupcake before hell freezes over, I swear it will be too fucking soon."

"Cupcake," Hakkai repeats.

"Frosted," Gojyo clarifies, hiking up his jeans over his naked hips. "With those little silver sugar balls on them."

"And sing-along night."

"Youkai cannot hold a tune, Hakkai. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

"Just so we're clear here," Hakkai says, and really, he feels remarkably calm, given the situation. "You were sold into slavery and forced to...?"

"Wear aprons!" Gojyo declares hotly, turning to glare at him. "And cook from recipe books! And make decisions about what colour cushions to get for the couch!"

Hakkai stares at him. "That... doesn't sound so bad."

"It was a nightmare."

"And other... domestic duties?" Hakkai enquires carefully. "What of those?"

Gojyo's eyebrows go up. "You mean like..." And then down again. "Uh... Well..."

Hakkai's calm is descending into the still, icy waters of a deadly rage, he can just feel it.

"Is that so," he concludes mildly. "With whom, exactly?"

"It wasn't so bad, Hakkai! Honestly, it was probably the easiest part!"

"With. Whom?"

Gojyo grimaces. "All of them?"

Hakkai takes another slow, measured breath.

"Right," he says. "Excuse me a moment. I believe I have something I need to do. I’ll make up for leaving you a little later."

"Yeah, okay," Gojyo sighs, and flops back down on the bed. The comforter is so thick, it makes a muffled whoofing sound as he does. "Just... don't make too much of a mess, okay? I only just vacuumed down there yesterday."

+++

"Well, I believe I've done the world a service." Hakkai can't help but sound satisfied. It's nice to be home again. He'll have to let Sanzo know, although, thinking about it, he probably already does.

"Yeah, granted," Gojyo agrees. "But did you have to set fire to the place? We could have saved the house, you know. Gotten rid of that carpet and the wallpaper, stripped out the bathroom and polished the floors. A few rugs and some down lights..."

"I'll forget you ever said that, Gojyo. A cup of tea? I'll put the kettle on. Also? I'd very much appreciate it if you went and washed the lipstick off now we're home."

Gojyo looks surprised for a moment, and then turns and disappears into the bathroom. Hakkai reaches for the teapot and resolves to never, ever again think about how that particular shade makes his mouth look inviting.

Of course, the place could do with some brightening up. Perhaps Gojyo will have an opinion on some new curtains...


End file.
